


can't get you off my mind

by thespacenico



Series: klancemas 2018 [20]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: !!!!!!!, First Date, M/M, Sharpshooter Lance, There are several firsts in this, a looot of self indulgent fluff, also Keith cries, keith and Adam kill me, keith has a surprising music taste, mini road trip!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-11 06:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17441567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thespacenico/pseuds/thespacenico
Summary: klancemas day twenty: holidays in space





	can't get you off my mind

**Author's Note:**

> is the title song lyrics from your love is my drug by kesha? yes, yes it is
> 
> this is very self-indulgent and a lot of keith and lance being soft on each other
> 
> [keith's playlist!](https://open.spotify.com/user/4edap3r9ur6waua90eg5sjysb/playlist/5cX1fL2jUD5RjCBlxyYT33?si=7sduoO2pRzeUCz5_ZVS-cQ)
> 
> edit: honestly looking back at this part it's so cliché and cheesy asdklfjks but i also love it so much bc they're just two dorks in love

In Keith’s defense, Lance should have known better.

All Keith knows is that one second he’s curled underneath his covers in a dreamless but peaceful sleep, and then the next someone is gently prodding his arm and his eyes snap open and before his brain even has the chance to produce any sort of rational thought, he’s flipping said someone over and pinning them against the mattress with his knee in their stomach and Galra knife pressed against their neck, ready for a fight.

Lance splutters underneath him, eyes wide as he tries to squish himself further into the mattress to release the pressure on his throat. _“Quiznak,_ Keith—”

Keith’s brain finally seems to make sense of his surroundings and he inhales sharply, immediately pulling his knife away and scrambling to get off. “Lance, what are you—”

“I think my life just flashed before my eyes,” Lance breathes out, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

“Well, why—” Keith is still trying to regain his bearings. “Oh my god Lance, you _know_ you can’t do that—”

“All I did was poke your arm,” Lance says incredulously, holding a hand to his neck as he pushes himself up. “I mean don’t get me wrong, that was super hot, but—”

“Oh my god,” Keith groans, his heart still racing as he pushes a hand through his hair and closes his eyes. “I could have actually killed you.”

“Why do you even still sleep with that thing?”

“It’s a habit!” Keith says defensively, clutching his knife to his chest. “What are you even doing in here—” He pauses, blinking when his eyes finally adjust to the dark and he realizes that Lance is fully dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. He narrows his eyes. “Why are you—what time is it?”

Lance smiles a little sheepishly. “Um… like, six fifteen?”

Keith stares at him. He rubs his eyes. “Lance.”

“Just get dressed and meet me downstairs in ten,” Lance says, already climbing to his feet and moving toward the door. “Wear something warm.” And then he disappears before Keith can ask what in the world is going on.

He sits on his bed for another moment, squinting confusedly at the place where Lance had been standing just seconds before. Now that the supposed danger of an intruder has passed and his body isn’t on full alert, his brain is groggy and eyes heavy with sleep. He sighs and slips his knife back underneath his pillow and reaches up to rub his eyes again. “Six fifteen,” he mutters. “In the morning.”

But because Keith is Keith, and Keith (still) can’t say no to Lance, he gets out of bed. He stumbles about in the dark of his room as he tries to change, blindly shoving a clean sweater over his head and almost tripping trying to pull on some pants. His eyes fall on the slip of paper stuffed inside his sock drawer when he pulls it open (after opening the same wrong drawer twice), and he smiles a little before scooping out a pair of socks and pushing the drawer closed again.

As planned, everyone had drawn a paper for the Secret Santa exchange last night after dinner (Keith had a moment of terror when he nearly forgot to rewrite his list on a blank piece of paper). And Keith got Lance, because of course Keith got Lance and he hadn’t even thought to consider the possibility of it until it was reality and it took every ounce of self-control to keep his expression from being a dead giveaway before he could go freak out in his room for a little bit about the pressure of finding the perfect gift for his boyfriend because how does one even do that?

But once he got over the initial panic and actually took the time to look at Lance’s list, he realized that Lance is. Not very hard to please. His list consists of: coloring books, water guns, a couple of book titles (confirming Keith’s reoccurring thought that he likes to read), sour candy (Keith has watched him eat a packet of Sour Skittles while sucking all the sour off before actually eating them and it drives Pidge _insane_ ), keychains, and Heelies (he can’t tell if that’s a joke but he suspects it’s not).

Anyway, Keith feels confident enough. Maybe. He’ll see when they actually go out to buy gifts.

It takes Keith a few tries to shove his feet into his boots, but once he does he grabs his handheld from the bedside table and heads downstairs. Lance is slipping back inside the front door when he comes down. Keith doesn’t know how he has the energy to smile so big this early in the morning. “Ready?”

“Ready for what?” Keith asks confusedly, still half-asleep as Lance helps him into his coat.

“You’ll see,” Lance smiles again, opening the door and ushering Keith out onto the porch.

Keith shivers against the sudden cold. “S’cold,” he complains, and Lance laughs softly as he steps in front of him to zip up his coat while he rubs his eyes.

“Who knew you weren’t a morning person?”

“Me,” Keith squints blearily, and Lance huffs another laugh before taking his hand and leading him through the snow in the front yard towards Hunk’s car. “And Shiro. And Adam, and my mom—”

“Okay, smart guy,” Lance snorts, pulling open the passenger door. “In you go.”

Keith obediently climbs into his seat, yawning after Lance has closed the door and made his way around to the driver’s seat. “What’re we doing again?”

“Just driving, for now,” Lance answers vaguely, starting the car and flipping the headlights on. “Go back to sleep if you want to.”

Keith is already settling himself against the window, using the hood of his coat as a cushion between his head and the freezing glass. “Are we leaving? Adam’s gonna freak out if we leave.”

Lance is laughing again, quietly but just as amused. “Don’t worry, he knows where we’re going.”

“You’re kidnapping me,” Keith decides anyway. His eyes are already closed, and he doesn’t remember when the car started moving but it definitely is because his head bumps against the window and he lets out a small sound of annoyance that makes Lance laugh yet again.

“It’s not kidnapping if you go willingly.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Keith mumbles, but the air blowing out of the vents is starting to warm up and he can already feel himself drifting off.

“We can debate that later,” Lance says consolingly. “You look like a zombie right now.” He might say something else after that, but by then Keith has already fallen back asleep.

He slips in and out of sleep in intervals. The first time he wakes up, it’s still dark, and Lance is humming softly to a song on the radio that he doesn’t recognize. He keeps his eyes closed and listens for a while, idly thinking to himself about how nice his voice sounds, before it soothes him back into sleep. The second time he wakes up is only brief, barely long enough for him to notice the softening dark blue of the sky indicating that the sun will be rising soon, and to feel his ears starting to pop from the decrease in elevation, but he’s asleep again before he can question exactly what’s going on.

The sun is starting to rise when he wakes up again. That, and the car isn’t moving. He yawns, squinting a little against the new influx of light and groaning unhappily at the crick in his neck from leaning against the window. The sky is a mix of pink and orange, casting an almost purple color against the snow on the mountains in the background outside. Lance isn’t there when he turns to look, and when he finally sits up in confusion he realizes they’re parked at the gas station at the bottom of the mountain, just in front of the little convenience store.

The blinking red clock of the radio tells him that about an hour has passed, and when he looks up again Lance is coming out the door of the store with two cups in his hands. His heart skips when he recognizes his hoodie underneath Lance’s coat, since earlier he’d been too tired to really notice anything at all.

Lance props both cups in one hand to open his side of the car, smiling brightly when he slips inside and pulls the door shut. “Oh good, you’re awake! I have coffee.”

Keith graciously accepts the cup that he’s offered, sighing appreciatively when he takes a sip as Lance starts the car. “Thanks.”

“I hope you like it,” Lance says, pulling back onto the road. “Because all they had were those tiny coffee creamer cups and I had to use like a billion of them. The cashier kept shooting me dirty looks over the counter and I’m pretty sure he charged me extra.”

“Sorry,” Keith huffs a laugh, holding his cup between both hands to soak in the warmth. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?”

The corners of Lance’s mouth turn up, but he keeps his eyes on the road. “Not yet. We still have about an hour and a half left.”

“I have to wait an hour and a half to find out where we’re going?”

“Jeez, why do you have to ask so many questions?”

“You’re kidnapping me,” Keith mutters into his coffee, and Lance snorts. “You’ve kidnapped me, and you’re bribing me with coffee to keep me quiet.”

“In that case, I’m pretty sure you have a bad case of Stockholm syndrome.” Keith wrinkles his nose at him, but he smiles when Lance laughs. “Maybe I should play that One Direction song—”

“If you play One Direction I will throw myself out of this moving car,” Keith threatens.

Lance shoots him an unconvinced look. “I _know_ you know all the lyrics to One Thing.”

Keith feels his face flush and he hides behind his coffee. “It’s a good song,” he mutters.

He narrows his eyes when a sly smile crosses Lance’s face. “Do I have that one thing, Keith?”

Keith scoffs. “Lance—”

“Do you want me to fall into your arms?” Lance interrupts, grinning. “Do I make you weak—waitwaitwait, _Keith,_ am I your kryptonite?”

“Oh my god, _stop,”_ Keith groans, shoving his cup between his knees so he can pull his hood over his head while Lance starts snickering.

“This is revenge for you nearly beheading me earlier.”

“That wasn’t my fault!” Keith cries defensively. “You can’t sneak in on me unannounced like that!”

“I was just trying to surprise you!”

“Well, you succeeded.”

There’s a brief moment of quiet. Lance glances sideways at him. “It was still hot though.”

Keith just groans again and pulls his hood farther over his head as Lance bursts into laughter.

Once he’s done being a flustered mess, Keith spends another few minutes trying to get some kind of information out of Lance concerning their impromptu trip, but he won’t break, so Keith gives up after a while. Eventually they fall into a comfortable silence; Keith props his elbow against the window and watches the sun come up and the snow and mountains and occasional houses or shacks race by. Lance slightly turns up the volume on the radio at some point just to fill the quiet.

It’s the only radio station in the area, considering they’re kind of in the middle of nowhere, so the music selection is—diverse, to say the least. Keith is pretty sure he hears an Ariana Grande song come on immediately after some kind of classical piano piece, but other than that he’s not really paying attention. That is, until he hears a familiar beat and he nearly gets whiplash from snapping his head toward the radio.

Lance gives him a funny look. “Uh… you good, buddy?” He seems to realize that Keith is staring at the radio, because he cautiously reaches for the volume with one hand and slowly starts to turn it up, a huge smile crossing his face when he recognizes the song. “Oh my _god,_ Keith.”

Keith resists the urge to push his hand away and crank the volume all the way up. “Stop it.”

“Keith.”

_“Stop.”_

Laughter bubbles out of Lance’s chest and Keith might have thought it was the cutest thing ever if he didn’t know Lance was making fun of him. “I cannot believe you unironically love this song—”

“Everyone _should_ unironically love this song!” Keith protests.

He leans forward as Lance turns it up a tiny bit more to hear the first verse, a mischievous smile on his face. “I bet you can’t make it through the song without singing.”

Keith opens his mouth. Closes it. “That’s not fair.”

“So you can’t do it, is what you’re saying.”

He raises an eyebrow when Keith glares at him, but he crosses his arms over his chest and sinks back in his seat. “That’s not fair,” he repeats, making a pained noise when Lance turns it up a little more just to tease, snickering as he does.

It’s taking every ounce of self-control in Keith’s body _not_ to sing along. Lance is evil. He is evil. Keith’s boyfriend is truly _evil._ They’re only halfway through the first verse and Keith is dying. “I hate you,” he groans, and Lance just smiles innocently from behind the wheel.

They’re so close to the chorus. It’s so close, Keith is actually going to die. If Keith doesn’t sing along to the chorus he will die and it will be Lance’s fault. And Adam will kill him for killing Keith. It will still be Lance’s fault.

Second to last line of the first verse. Keith peeks over at Lance to shoot him a dirty look only his satisfied smile has faded as if he’s suddenly realize that he has made a terrible mistake.

Last line of the first verse. Keith is pretty sure he’s sweating from the effort to hold it together. Lance glances over at him. And then he lunges for the volume and switches it all the way up just in time for the chorus and they both launch into song.

“ _IT’S GONNA TAKE A LOT TO DRAG ME AWAAAY FROM YOUUU—”_

They sing at the top of their lungs, and the only reason Keith isn’t worried about wrecking the car is because there’s literally no one else on the road. And maybe he forgets that it’s the middle of winter and it’s literally _freezing_ outside because he starts rolling the window down before Lance can stop him, and the cold air shocks his skin and rips through his hair but he sticks his head outside anyway.

 _“I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN AAAFRICAAA,”_ he yells, grinning at the sound of Lance bursting into surprised laughter behind him.

He makes it through the rest of the chorus before the cold is already too much to handle, so he backs down and rolls the window back up but they both keep singing just as loudly. Lance can’t stop laughing when Keith finds a flashlight in the glove compartment to use as a microphone, and halfway through the song he’s using Keith’s free hand as his own.

When the last chorus rolls around, Lance starts singing the regular chorus while Keith is trying to hit all of the riffs and high notes, and by the end of the song they’re both laughing and trying to catch their breath. Lance turns the radio back down a little and pulls Keith’s hand across the console to rest on his knee, taking his eyes off the road only long enough to shoot a big, bright-eyed smile his way.

“Okay, you’re right. Everyone should unironically love that song.”

“I’m telling you,” Keith sighs, propping his head on his other hand. “Also, I take it back. I don’t hate you.”

“That was a given.”

The next song starts, and Keith gasps involuntarily when he hears the opening of _Your Love is My Drug_ by Kesha. “Wait, turn it back up—”

“Keith, oh my _god—”_

They sing the entirety of that song, too.

 

❆ ❆ ❆

 

It’s about a quarter past nine when there’s some hint of civilization. From the sign a mile or so out, Keith finally realizes they’re heading in the direction of the next town over from the one nearest to Adam’s cabin. Which—warrants some questions.

“Okay Lance, seriously, where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“You’re literally kidnapping me—”

“Oh my god Keith for the millionth time why would I kidnap you! I already told you Adam knows where we’re going.”

“How come Adam knows where we’re going and I don’t?”

“I swear if you ask one more question I will turn this car around—”

“No you won’t.”

“... _Listen—”_

Considering how cold it is outside, there aren’t many people walking about the further they get into town. Those that are outside are bundled up in huge puffy coats and gloves and scarves and beanies, window-shopping or hurrying down the sidewalks with cups of coffee or cocoa. Keith sees a couple of kids having a snowball fight in the little square they pass by.

It’s not until Lance pulls into a small, relatively empty parking lot and slips into a spot just in front of the relatively small building with a small sign that reads _CINEMA_ in bright red block letters that poor, oblivious Keith starts to put the pieces together.

He stares up at the sign as Lance kills the engine, his brain working overtime. “Oh.”

Lance clears his throat and Keith looks over to see him fidgeting nervously with the car keys. “You said, um. You said I could still take you on a real first date.”

Keith blinks at him. “I did.”

“Yeah.” Lance shifts a little, offering a small smile. “So, I rescheduled for us.” His face falls a tiny bit and he shifts in his seat when Keith just blinks at him again. “Uh, is this like—too much?”

Keith blinks again, and then he feels a smile start to cross his own face and he slowly shakes his head. “No. What’s the plan?”

Lance’s smile returns, bigger and brighter than ever. “Shiro told me you haven’t seen Infinity War yet.”

“Did he tell you that he came home from that movie crying?”

Lance lets out a surprised laugh. “Um, no. He neglected to share that information with me. Anyway, this theater has been doing like a Marvel movie marathon thing? And Infinity War is today.”

“Let’s go then,” Keith says, and Lance grins before they both go to get out of the car.

Keith slips his hand into Lance’s as they’re making their way to the entrance, and Lance beams at him and Keith’s heart flutters so happily he thinks it might burst. The theater is the opposite of crowded. There’s no one in the lobby when they buy their tickets, and only a couple of people in line when they stop to get some popcorn. An employee directs them to the last of the three showing rooms and they go on their way, Lance squawking at Keith and doing his best to swat his hand away when he tries to steal some of the popcorn before they get inside. There’s no one else in the room yet when they walk in, so they choose two seats directly in the middle and make themselves comfortable.

“Should I be worried?” Keith asks, finally managing to swipe a handful of popcorn and ignoring Lance’s scandalized look.

“I’m not saying anything,” Lance says indignantly. “You’ll have to see for yourself. Honestly, I have no idea how nothing got spoiled for you.”

“I’m good at ignoring people.”

“Are you now?”

Keith ignores him.  

“Fine,” Lance sniffs, pulling the popcorn bowl further into his lap. “Your popcorn privileges are revoked.”

Keith stops ignoring him.

He’s pretty sure that the universe is trying to make up for snowing them in the other day, because by the time the trailers start and end, no one else has come into the theater. Somewhere in the back of his mind is the mental image of them using the opportunity to make out, but he pushes that image very, very, _very_ far back before he does something stupid.

Lance, on the other hand, loudly announces (to prove his point) that Keith can actually vocalize his reactions to the movie. And vocalize Keith does, partly because Lance seems to find it funny and partly because it’s actually very satisfying.

It’s possible that he bursts into laughter when Tony calls the creepy alien dude Squidward, and complains about how so many aliens in the movies are always assumed to have some kind of crazy telekinetic powers, and then squawks in surprise when the Guardians of the Galaxy show up.

(“Why didn’t I know they were in this?”

“Keith, _everyone_ is in this. That’s literally the whole point of the movie.”)

( _“I stopped listening after you said, ‘We need a plan,’”_ Drax says in the movie.

“Me with Shiro,” Keith mutters, and Lance snorts in surprise.)

(“You just died,” Lance deadpans when Gamora dies, and Keith throws a popcorn kernel at his head because he may or may not be fighting back tears while he angrily calls out a few choice words about Thanos.)

But it’s the end that really gets a rise out of him. Keith is pretty sure his heart drops into his stomach when Thanos snaps his fingers, and he clutches at Lance’s arm. “What’s happening,” he whispers. Lance just stifles a laugh and shakes his head, and then Bucky calls Steve’s name and he freezes.

“No,” he says out loud, eyes wide as Steve turns to him on screen. Bucky starts to disintegrate. “NO!” he yells, leaping out of his seat as Lance desperately tries to hold back his laughter. “No, Bucky can’t die! We just got normal Bucky back! Bucky _no—”_ He sits back down and curls into his seat and watches helplessly as half of his favorite characters start to freaking _die._

_“Mr. Stark?”_

Keith snaps. _“NO._ Nononono, no—”

_“I don’t feel so good.”_

Perhaps Keith weeps for Spider-Man.

“Are you crying?” Lance asks, leaning over to peek at him when the credits start rolling.

“Shut up,” Keith mutters, wiping at the streaks under his eyes.

“You’re crying! Oh my god, during all the time we spent together in space I never saw you cry once, and now—”

“I’m breaking up with you,” Keith says weakly, burying his face in his hands while Lance laughs and pats his shoulder sympathetically.

Lance insists that they stay until the very end of the credits so that Keith can see the ending scene (which Keith is grateful for because it gives his eyes and face time to dry), and then they leave the theater to venture back into the cold. Keith shoves his hands into his pockets and Lance links an arm through his as they stop outside the entrance.

“Okay, so what emotionally traumatizing experience do you have planned for us next?” Keith asks, and Lance bumps his shoulder playfully, shaking his head.

“Clearly my dramatics are wearing off on you.”

“Clearly.”

 _“Anyway,”_ Lance starts down the sidewalk, pulling Keith along. “I thought we could do lunch? Adam says there’s a really good café down here.”

Keith raises an eyebrow. “Adam helped you plan all this?”

Lance’s face flushes a little. “He knows the area, okay! I just asked for his opinion, that’s all.”

“I guess we can trust Adam’s taste in food.”

“Was that a compliment? Did you actually just compliment Adam?”

“...You can’t tell him.”

The café is small and cozy, sitting between what looks like a bookstore and a record shop. They find a booth tucked in the corner and each order blueberry pancakes, since according to Adam they’re the best thing on the menu.

“So,” Lance crosses his legs in the booth and sips at his water. “Does your mom know about us?”

Keith winces. “Um. Yeah.”

“Should I be worried? She’s not gonna like, threaten me or something?”

He huffs a laugh. “No, Lance.” Lance just hums thoughtfully, twirling his straw around his cup. Keith clears his throat. “Does—your family know about us?”

Lance’s cheeks turn a little pink. “Yeah. They might possibly have already known about my giant crush on you.”

Keith blinks at him. “Should I be worried?” he echoes.

Lance shakes his head vigorously. “No! No, they’re cool about it.”

They pause in their conversation when their waitress returns to the table with their food, smiling kindly at them when they both thank her before she leaves.

“I feel like I should be scared of Veronica,” Keith admits, poking at his pile of pancakes.

Lance scoffs. “Please.” He pauses. “Okay, she can be kind of intimidating. But she’s also a lesbian, so like—”

Keith chokes on his drink. “Wait, what?”

Lance blinks at him. “You didn’t know? I mean, it’s not like she advertises it, but she’s not exactly subtle about it either. She has a huge crush on Acxa, but you didn’t hear that from me—”

 _“What?”_ Keith practically yells, and then Lance is staring at him in complete and utter confusion as he scrambles for his handheld.

“Keith, what—”

Keith shushes him, hitting call and holding it to his ear. It only rings a couple times before someone answers.

_“Keith, is everything okay? I’m in the middle of a supply run—”_

“Ask her out.”

The other end is silent for a moment, echoing Lance’s look of bewilderment from across the table. _“Um,”_ Acxa says. _“What?”_

“Veronica,” Keith clarifies. “Next time you come to Earth, ask her out.”

It sounds like Acxa splutters a little, which is hilarious because she’s one of the most intense people that Keith has ever met. _“Keith, I don’t know what you’re talking about and I’m in the middle of a mission right now so—”_

“She likes girls,” Keith blurts.

The other end goes silent again. “What is happening,” Lance mutters.

 _“I’m not discussing this with you,”_ Acxa finally answers, sounding flustered.

“At least tell me you’ll ask her out.”

_“I’m going to hang up now.”_

“Fine, then tell Kolivan I said hi.”

 _“I will not,”_ Acxa says, and Keith snorts when she promptly hangs up.

Lance stares at him as he sets down his handheld. “What just happened?”

“I got your sister a date is what just happened.”

 

❆ ❆ ❆

 

They eat their pancakes and Keith tries to be annoyed when Lance won’t let him pay but he thinks it’s actually all very sweet. Lance waves back at a little girl on their way out of the café and it makes Keith also thinks he finally understands what Lance meant about his heart going all squishy. When they get back to the car in front of the theater, Lance opens the door for him and Keith rolls his eyes a little but he thinks it’s also all very sweet.

Lance still refuses to give Keith any hints about the rest of their schedule, and Keith pretends to be mad for maybe two minutes before Lance turns on a Jonas Brothers song and it’s really hard to be mad while singing along to Burnin’ Up. Eventually they pull into another parking, and Keith blinks up at the faded but charming lettering just above the entrance to the building.

He turns to Lance. “Really?”

“I still feel bad for lying the other day, okay?” Lance says defensively. “Plus—” He reaches into the back and holds up a giant bag of quarters.

Keith stares at him. “Adam gave you his secret _quarter stash—”_

It’s an arcade. A classic, old-school arcade complete with retro posters plastered all over the walls and the sound of music and coins filling the air and neon lights washing over everything in sight. It’s not too crowded, but there are some younger kids dashing about with their parents and a couple groups of teenagers and maybe some people their age milling about.

Lance wiggles the bag in the air, all the coins rattling around inside. “Where should we start?”

A couple of kids walking by glance curiously at them, and Keith inches closer to Lance protectively. “We’re gonna get beat up by a bunch of twelve-year-olds for our quarters.”

“I’m not scared of them,” Lance scoffs. “Nadia and Sylvio could take them all in their sleep.”

“Somehow I believe that.”

“Oh, look!” Lance grabs him arm and tugs him along. “They have Galaga!”

They spend a while going from game to game, sometimes taking turns or splitting controls when it’s only meant for one player. Unsurprisingly, Keith is pretty good at anything with a joystick, especially when Lance is the one smacking all the buttons at lightning speed.

The racing games are only fun because of how hilariously awful they both are. Lance swears that they’re ten times harder than piloting his Lion ever was, and Keith wholeheartedly agrees. Lance insists on trying to win Keith the Charizard plushie from one of the claw machines, and by some miracle from the universe (or maybe Lance is just really good at claw machines?) he wins on only his third try.

Then there’s the two-player first-person shooter game. Keith and Lance stand in front of it with their arms folded and watch the preview montage play out. The invisible players are shooting blue shots of energy around the screen, catching power-ups and hitting U.F.O.’s and blasting the grossly misrepresented aliens.

Lance squints. “I’m pretty sure that approximately zero aliens we ever met looked like that.”

“And their ships are way more advanced,” Keith agrees.

They stare at it some more. An alien shrieks on screen and three slashes appear as if it injured the player. They glance at each other.

Keith smirks. “Do you wanna play?”

“Yeah,” Lance says, already stuffing his hand into their bag of quarters.

He shoves the necessary amount of coins into both slots as Keith lifts his fake blaster from its resting place, pressing the trigger experimentally. “These kinda look like your rifle.”

“Um, rude,” Lance scoffs indignantly, hitting both his and Keith’s buttons to start the game and picking up his own blaster. “My rifle is way cooler.”

“My sword is cooler,” Keith argues just to tease, raising his blaster as the screen fades to black, signaling the start of the game.

 _“My_ sword is cooler!”

“You don’t have a sword, Lance.” Keith glances over at him when he goes quiet, looking almost sheepish. “...do you?”

“Uh,” Lance says, his eyes darting away. “Okay, wow. I guess I thought you knew?”

Keith gapes at him. “You got a _sword?”_ Both of them snap their attention back to the game when the screen flashes as if they’re waking up, displaying the inside of an alien spaceship. Two doors slide open, and evil aliens start pouring into the room. Keith shoots Lance a look as he’s taking down the first couple of enemies. “We are _definitely_ talking about this later.”

“Yes, yes, later,” Lance says distractedly, already completely focused on the game. “Game now, talk later.”

It starts out easy enough. There aren’t that many aliens yet, and they go down with only one or two shots. When the first round ends, Keith is already winning by a considerable margin, judging by their individual scores at the top corners of the screen.

Keith shifts his blaster a little in his hands as the next round starts. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?” Lance asks, shooting at one of the aliens coming at him from the side.

“You’re trying to let me win.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I just watched you miss that alien three times in a row. You literally had nearly one hundred percent accuracy on the training simulations on the Castle, this should be the easiest thing in the world for you.”

“It’s not the same,” Lance tries.

“If you don’t have more points than me by the end of the game we’re going back to the cabin,” Keith threatens. Lance makes a sort of strangled noise of distress and then proceeds to nail the four remaining aliens in a quick succession before Keith can even blink. Keith lowers his blaster to look at him. “That’s all it took?”

Lance keeps his eyes on the screen, his face flushing a little. “We still have things to do, okay?” Keith just laughs and shakes his head and gets ready for the next round.

The rounds very quickly become more difficult to handle, and Keith ends up dying around the sixth one. Lance, on the other hand, shows no sign of giving up anytime soon. Keith sets his blaster back into its place and leans against the button console with his arms folded as Lance continues.

Now that he’s on his own, Lance is laser-focused on the game, his brow creased and mouth turned down in concentration as he fights back the increasing waves of aliens. It’s possible that Keith is looking at him more than he’s looking at the actual game. Lance thought that Keith pinning him down and nearly decapitating him was hot? _This_ is hot.

He’s so busy watching Lance that he doesn’t even notice that a small group of three or four younger kids passing by have started crowding around behind them, watching the game with interest. Keith almost jumps when a boy that looks maybe ten appears next to him, eyes wide with awe. “Whoa, he’s almost to round ten and he’s playing by himself?”

“I helped a little,” Keith grumbles to himself, but he can’t help but agree. He wouldn’t have even made it past round four in the first place without Lance. It’s a bit dramatic how quickly the difficult has progressed, but Lance is making it look like it’s easy.

“He’s about to beat the high score,” another kid whispers behind them. Sure enough, when Keith glances up at the small scoreboard above the screen with the high score and compares it to Lance’s score, they’re only a few thousand points apart.

At this point, Lance has seemed to realize that he has an audience, because the corners of his mouth are turning up into a smile. A couple of the kids start throwing out encouraging comments or calling out warnings when an alien tries to sneak up on him. There’s a collective gasp of anticipation when he hits the high score exactly, followed by some cheering when he immediately surpasses it.

From what Keith is hearing, no one has ever made it past round ten. Until today. Keith is pretty sure these kids are about to lose their minds, if all the excited squeals when Lance reaches round eleven are anything to go by. Now the high score on the scoreboard is only climbing higher and higher, matching Lance’s score on the screen. He nearly makes it to round fifteen before an alien finally gets him, and his three dedicated fans rush forward to congratulate him as he sets his blaster down.

“Dude, that was amazing!”

“No one’s been able to beat the high score since _forever—”_

“Where did you learn to do that?”

Lance laughs a little, seeming a little flustered by all the attention. “Well, uh—” He glances over at Keith, who just smiles and offers a half-shrug as he leans further against the game’s console. Lance returns the smile and turns back to the kids.

“Have you heard of Voltron?”

“Oh yeah, of course,” one of them nods. “My dad says that was all a conspiracy invented by the Galaxy Garrison to cover up their secret alien research.”

Lance squawks.

Keith watches as Lance begins explaining all about Voltron and his weapon as a paladin. He stifles a laugh when the same kid from before flatly announces that he doesn’t believe Lance, who immediately launches into a story in an attempt to prove himself. Even if the kid still doesn’t believe him, Lance is a very enthusiastic story-teller, and all three of the kids stare wide-eyed at him as he tries to describe some of their adventures.

He seems to be very much in his element. Keith thinks it’s cute.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Keith starts and turns to look down at the same boy from earlier still standing there, peering curiously back at him. “Uh. I mean, I—” The boy lifts an eyebrow expectantly. “Yes?” Keith finishes cautiously.

“You were looking at him like my moms always look at each other,” the boy explains, as if he knows Keith is trying to figure out exactly what gave him that impression.

“Moms?” Keith repeats, blinking down at him.

His eyes light up and he nods, smiling proudly as he holds up his fingers. “I have two of them.”

Keith smiles. “That’s cool,” he says honestly. “You get twice the motherly wisdom.”

“They are very wise,” the boy says very seriously, and Keith huffs a laugh. “I’m Eli, by the way.”

Lance is still talking to the other kids, waving his hands animatedly, so Keith shifts fully to face his new friend. “I’m Keith.”

Eli beams at him. “I’ve seen you on TV.”

Keith blanks. “You have?”

“Mhm,” Eli nods. “In your TV show.”

It takes Keith a second to compute this information in his brain. “Oh, yeah. That.”

“I thought you liked the princess?”

Keith snorts. “Yeah. No, that’s—they got that part wrong.”

“Then do you only like guys?”

This is so not the conversation that Keith was expecting to have with a ten-year-old in a little arcade in almost the middle of nowhere, but he finds himself nodding nonetheless. “Just guys.”

Eli seems to consider this. “I don’t think I know who I like yet.”

Keith smiles a little. “That’s okay. You don’t have to.”

“Eli!” They both turn and Keith sees two women he assumes must be Eli’s moms near the entrance of the arcade. One of them waves at him. “Time to go!”

Eli looks back at Keith. “It’s time for me to go,” he announces, and Keith laughs.

“I figured. It was nice talking to you.”

“It was nice talking to you too.” He glances past Keith for just a second before his eyes flick back. “Same look,” he says wisely, and then he turns and walks away.

Confused, Keith turns to see that Lance’s fans have dispersed, leaving Lance standing there and watching him with a faint smile on his face. Keith feels his cheeks flush a little, but he smiles back as Lance joins him on his side of the console. “What?”

Lance just shrugs, still smiling as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Nothing.”

Eli turns at the door, holding onto one of his mom’s hands and waving back at Keith. Keith waves back, and then they disappear through the front of the arcade.

Lance checks the time on his handheld. “If you’re ready to go, I kind of had one more thing planned for us.”  

“Sure,” Keith agrees, pushing himself up from the console and picking up his Charizard from the floor. Lance bends down to grab their bag of quarters, staring at it for a moment before turning to look further into the arcade.

“How mad do you think Adam would be if we came home with approximately zero quarters?”

Keith follows Lance’s gaze to the same group of kids from earlier gathered around one of the claw machines. He hums in understanding. “Adam doesn’t scare me.”

“Well, he kind of scares me sometimes.”

“Then I’ll take the blame.”

“He’ll never buy that, but okay.” Lance grins. “Be right back.”

Keith’s handheld buzzes in his pocket as Lance jogs off toward the kids to give them their quarters.

 

 **Adam W:** just checking in to make sure you and your lover are still alive

Keith rolls his eyes.

 **Keith K:** do you really have to call him that

 **Adam W:** yes  
answer the question

 **Keith K:** you didn’t even ask a question  
go away

 **Adam W:** >:0

 **Keith K:** okay yes we’re alive  
but i only told you that because you didn’t use a dumb nose in your emoticon like shiro always does

 **Adam W:** >:-0

 **Keith K:** i take it back we’re both dead.  
also you’re dead to me.  
and i’m giving away all your dumb quarters

 **Adam W:** lance is giving the rest of them away isn’t he

 **Keith K:** …  
no

 **Adam W:** mhm

 **Keith K:** he has a soft spot for kids okay

 **Adam W:** hope you two are having fun

 **Keith K:** thanks

“Who’re you texting?” Keith jumps a little when Lance suddenly reappears, peeking over his shoulder.

“Adam just wanted to make sure we’re alive.”

“Oh! Well, in that case.” Keith blinks as Lance plucks his handheld out of his grasp and flicks open the camera, slipping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him to his side. He pauses. “Charizard needs to be in here.”

Keith snorts. “Does he have to be?”

“Yes, Keith! Charizard is part of the family now!” Keith half-heartedly rolls his eyes, but he obligingly holds up the plushie underneath their chins so it can be seen on the screen. He wrinkles his nose a little when Lance squishes their cheeks together. “Say quiznak!”

“That’s definitely not how that word works,” Keith protests, but he’s already smiling. Lance snaps the picture and sends it to Adam before giving back his handheld, arm still slung around Keith’s shoulders.  

“Ready?”

“Ready,” Keith nods, and then because he’s feeling bold, slips his arm around Lance’s waist as they leave the arcade.

Lance is as cryptic as ever about where they’re going next, so Keith doesn’t bother with too many questions. Wherever they’re headed is a little outside of town back the way they came, because they pass by the café and the theater on their way.

Keith goes back into the photo album on his handheld to actually look at their picture, Lance drumming his fingers on the steering wheel along to the music playing softly on the radio. He can’t really help but smile when he sees it. Lance has a bright grin on his face, his free hand held up with a peace sign while Keith holds up the plushie, his nose wrinkled as he smiles more at Lance than at the camera. Again. He taps his fingers on the side of the handheld for a moment, considering, and then he sends the picture to Krolia before slipping it back into his coat pocket.

When they arrive at their final destination, Lance pulls into a completely empty parking lot. Keith is about to make a comment about how Lance has just been softening him up all day and this is where he’s finally gonna kill him, until he actually looks out at the dome building waiting in front of them.

He blinks up at it. “What is this?”

Lance just hums as he cuts the engine. “You’ll see.”

Keith sighs a bit more dramatically than is strictly necessary. “You’re making me wait until we get inside?”

“Don’t be a baby,” Lance teases, already getting out of the car. “Come on, I just have to grab some stuff from the back.”

Keith’s handheld buzzes again as he’s climbing out onto the snowy pavement, and he pulls it out of his pocket to see a message from Krolia.

 

 **Krolia:** ♡

 

Keith stifles a little laugh. Krolia has clearly been spending too much time with Romelle.

 

 **Krolia:** i hope you’re having a good time?

 **Keith K:** yeah, i am  
i’ll try to call tonight?

 **Krolia:** looking forward to it :)

 

Apparently Keith has been staring at his handheld distractedly for just a moment too long, because suddenly something nails him in the back and he has to take a step forward to steady himself, snow flying around him from impact. He whips around to see Lance standing at the rear of the car, pretending to very seriously inspect the back window with his hands behind his back. Keith narrows his eyes.

“Do you really want to do this right now?”

Lance looks at him. “Do what?” he asks innocently.

Keith squints at him. Lance just smiles. And then promptly throws another snowball that hits Keith square in the chest. Lance bursts into laughter as Keith splutters, blinking some of exploded snow from his eyelashes. “Okay, you asked for it—” He shoves his handheld into his pocket and darts after Lance, who’s already taken off across the parking lot, still laughing over his shoulder.

He leaps over the small row of shrubs lining the yard that surrounds the planetarium, Keith following closely behind. Keith scoops up some snow as he goes, packing it into a sloppy snowball and launching it at the back of Lance’s head. Lance stumbles a little with the impact, twisting around to fight Keith off when he inevitably catches him. “Keith, wait—” he giggles as Keith continues to advance, already scooping more snow into his hands. “Okay, waitwaitwait—”

“You started it!” Keith cries, and then proceeds to stuff a handful of snow down the back of Lance’s coat before he gets the chance to escape.

Lance squeaks and ducks away, throwing snow in Keith’s face in retaliation. Keith tackles him.

“Okay, okay I’m sorry!” Lance tries, shoving Keith away and struggling to get back to his feet. Keith might have believed him if Lance weren’t still laughing.

There’s a bit of rolling around as Keith drags him back down into the snow. Lance keeps trying to toss snow into Keith’s face, and by the time that Keith manages to pin his arms down, they’re both laughing so much Keith think his face is going to fall off. Or maybe that’s just from the cold.

But his chest feels warm, as he looks down at Lance and his huge smile and the freckles scattered across his cheeks rosy with cold and snow sprinkled in his hair and nose scrunched as he tries to catch his breath between giggles, and it’s so much like the day that they all went sledding only now Keith is staring down at Lance, instead of up. Keith feels his own smile slowly fading as his breath evens out, his grip loosening a little where he’s holding Lance’s wrists against the ground.

And when Lance meets his gaze, bright blue eyes glittering with amusement and mouth turned up into a big smile, Keith feels his breath catch in his throat, and his pulse quicken and his heart somersault in his chest because Keith—wants to kiss him. Wants to cup his face in his hands and brush the hair from his forehead and lean down and press their lips together, gentle and desperate and hopeful all at once.

Lance blinks at him. “Hey, Keith.”

Keith swallows. “Yeah?”

“Can we go inside? My butt is freezing.”

Keith blinks back, a mixed feeling of disappointment and embarrassment turning over in his stomach. “Oh. Yeah, sorry.” He climbs to his feet and holds out a hand to help Lance up, and Lance doesn’t let him let go as they make their way back to the parking lot. Lance ends up pushing a couple of blankets from the car into a confused Keith’s hands before they finally walk up to the entrance of the building.

Lance walks right past the front door and Keith follows, puzzled, until they reach another door on the other side of the building that leads into the dome. There are a couple of little _beeps_ as Lance enters a code into the electronic keypad beside the front door, and a moment later there’s a click to signal that it’s unlocked. He shoots a big smile in Keith’s direction as he opens it that makes Keith think about leaning over and kissing him again. “After you.”

One step inside, and Keith is immediately plunged into darkness aside from the light coming in through the door. He feels Lance brush past behind him and he squints as the door starts to fall closed, leaving the room completely dark. “What’s happening right now?”

“Hang on,” Lance calls from somewhere to his left. He sees Lance’s flashlight come on and disappear just as quickly.

Keith takes a cautious step forward as he waits, hoping he doesn’t run into anything. He shifts the blankets in his arms. “Lance, if you try to jump out and scare me I _will_ punch you—”

His words die in his mouth when he hears Lance makes a sound of triumph and suddenly the entire space above them is lit up with—stars. Hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of stars, painting everything around him with a soft, delicate glow. He tries not to gape up at everything as Lance comes to stand next to him, looking satisfied.

“What’s… happening?” Keith repeats, and Lance laughs a little.

“Planetarium,” he says simply. Keith turns to look at him, and even with only the light from the artificial stars, he can see Lance’s face flush a little. He rubs the back of his neck. “It’s really small and stuff, so sometimes they do shows but most of the time they just let people use it? Adam said you could make like, reservations for it. So I kind of reserved it for us.” He clears his throat when Keith just keeps looking at him, and Keith thinks maybe he needs to stop staring silently at Lance when he’s trying to put himself out there like this.

“I know we’ve been using the observatory back at the cabin and stuff, but I thought—well, a lot has happened since you first took me up there, so I guess I wanted to take you too? If that makes sense—I just mean it’s kind of like our thing so—”

“Lance,” Keith interrupts, effectively cutting off Lance’s ramble. Lance’s mouth snaps shut and Keith just smiles, looking up again at all of the stars twinkling above them. “I love it.”

Lance lets out the smallest breath of relief, gesturing toward the blankets Keith is holding. “I brought those in case it gets cold. We have the place for a couple hours before we go back, so we can just chill, and stuff. If you want we can play one of the shows they normally do—”

“Let’s go sit down,” Keith suggests, taking Lance’s hand and leading him toward the middle of the room before he can start rambling again.

They lay the blankets out on the floor and do their best to make themselves comfortable, more or less pressed up against each other’s sides as they look up at the stars for a while. Lance twists their fingers together and uses their entwined hands to point out the stars he can name and the constellations he recognizes, as if they haven’t already done this several times before in the observatory. Neither of them mind.

“I have a joke,” Lance says at some point.

“Oh no,” Keith deadpans, and Lance tries to elbow him but that’s hard to do when they’re already as close to each other as they can get.

“Okay. What’s an astronaut’s favorite key on the keyboard?”

Keith turns his head to squint at him. “Do people really have a favorite key on the keyboard?”

“Keith,” Lance sighs, and Keith stifles a laugh.

“Okay, okay. Um… A?”

“No.”

“Period.”

Lance snorts. “Why would it be a period?”

“Because they’re round. Planets are round. The moon is round. I think stars are technically round—”

“It’s the space bar, Keith.”

It takes a second or two for the joke to sink in, and Keith huffs a laugh. “That was lame.”

“I have more! Why don’t aliens eat clowns?”

Keith hums. “Probably because humans are gross. And they don’t like, eat people in general.”

“Keith, you’re killing me.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s because they taste _funny,”_ Lance finishes.

“Oh, come on—”

“Okay wait, one more. How do you organize a party in space?”

Keith decides to let Lance have this one. “I don’t know. How?”

“You _planet,”_ Lance says, turning to grin at him.

Keith stares at him. “What?”

Lance levels him with an incredulous look. “Planet. You planet, Keith—”

“Well, _obviously._ If you’re organizing a party then of course you’re gonna plan it—”

“No, not like—” Lance slaps his forehead and Keith can’t help but laugh as he groans in exasperation. “Oh my god. Forget it.”

“Sorry,” Keith tries. “I’m sure it’s a great joke.”

“I’m trying my best here,” Lance sighs again, but Keith can hear the smile in his voice.

They’re quiet then, for a while. Lance starts tracing lazy circles across the back of Keith’s hand, and it’s hard for Keith to focus on anything else despite the view. It all feels almost familiar, in a way. Different, sure, but comfortable. Together, surrounded by stars and distant galaxies and planets and—Suddenly it clicks.

“Ohhh,” Keith mutters. “You _planet.”_

Lance bursts into laughter beside him. “Keith, it’s been like five minutes—”

“I just needed time to process!” Keith says defensively, although Lance’s laughter makes it impossible not to smile.

“You’re hopeless, mullet,” Lance snickers, shifting a little to better face Keith.

Keith looks at him for a moment as his laughter gradually dies down, glancing down at their entangled fingers between them. “Hey, um—” He clears his throat and returns his gaze to Lance, who’s watching him expectantly. “Thanks for today. I had a really good time.”

Lance’s smile is probably brighter than all of the stars in the universe combined. “Even though I kidnapped you?”

“Even though you kidnapped me,” Keith confirms, rolling his eyes.

Lance hums. “I had a good time too.”

“I like your hoodie by the way.”

“Ha, ha,” Lance squints at him, and his nose wrinkles a little and it’s so cute and Keith suddenly has the urge to lean in and kiss it. “I was starting to think you didn’t notice.”

“Of course I did,” Keith scoffs. His brow creases a little when Lance turns away a little and presses the back of his other hand to his mouth to suppress a yawn. “Are you tired?”

Lance shakes his head. “No, sorry. I’m good.”

“Are you sure? We can go ahead and go back if you’re tired—”

“Keith, don’t worry about me,” Lance waves him off. “I was just up pretty early this morning, remember?”

Keith frowns a little, and Lance blinks when he lets go of his hand and props himself on his elbow to look down at him. He pauses, searching Lance’s face. “Is everything okay?”

Lance seems to tense the slightest bit, but he just raises an eyebrow. “Yes? Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I’m just saying—you’ve seemed tired a lot lately.”

“We do stay up late almost every night.”

“Lance, you know what I mean—”

“I’m fine, Keith.”  

Keith blinks at the edge of annoyance in his voice, feeling a sort of panic stir in his stomach at the idea of Lance being upset with him. “I was just—” he starts, and then he cuts himself off. “Okay,” he finishes instead, afraid of saying anything else that might bother Lance.

They fall into another silence as Keith lays back down, but there seems to be some kind of tension in the air this time. Lance has moved his hand to rest on his stomach, staring determinedly up at the stars as if to indicate that the conversation is over, and Keith is trying not to panic.

 _Something’s wrong,_ he thinks. _Something’s wrong, and you didn’t even notice._

He bites his lip and tries not to focus on the feeling of his empty hand.

At some point, Lance checks the time on his handheld and says they have to be out of there soon, so they get up from their place on the floor and Lance goes to turn everything off while Keith gathers up the blankets. He holds the door open for Lance this time, sneaking a look at him as he goes by and frowning, because now that he thinks about it Lance really does just look so—tired. Has he just not been paying attention this entire time?

It’s dark now, the sun having gone down while they were inside. The walk back to the entrance of the planetarium is quiet, Keith keeping just a little behind Lance. He’s pretty sure Lance stifles another yawn on the way, but if he did then he was definitely trying to hide it.

He squishes the blankets a little more between his arms as they pause at the front of the car so Lance can fish the keys out of his pocket. “Do you want me to drive?” he asks cautiously.

“I got it,” Lance says dismissively, and Keith frowns.

“Lance, you’re tired.”

“It’s barely two and a half hours, Keith. I can handle it.”

Keith presses his lips into a line as Lance finally manages to pull the keys out of his pocket. “I didn’t say you couldn’t.” Lance just starts to move around to the driver’s side of the car, and Keith reaches out to tug on his coat sleeve. “Lance, are you sure—”

“I said I’m _fine,”_ Lance snaps, shrugging out of Keith’s hold. “Would you stop asking?”

Keith stares at him, an awful sinking feeling in his stomach at how quickly things have seemed to turn around. “I’m just—trying to make sure you’re okay,” he says, maybe a little too defensively.

“And I am,” Lance insists, but his jaw is set and he’s keeping his eyes anywhere but on Keith. “I keep telling you I’m fine—”

“Well, stop saying it then,” Keith shoots back. “Obviously you’re not when you keep getting all cagey about it. Something’s wrong and you’re not telling me what it is.”

“Keith—” Lance pinches the bridge of his nose. “Look, _nothing_ is wrong, okay? Let’s just go back to the cabin.”

“Fine,” Keith snaps, snatching the keys out of Lance’s hand and dumping the blankets into his arms. “But I’m driving.”

If Lance says anything else, Keith doesn’t hear him, because he’s already brushing past him and getting into the driver’s seat. He manages not to slam the door, but he puts his hands on the steering wheel and lets out a frustrated breath, the windshield fogging a little. Lance seems to stand outside for a little longer before he finally goes to put the blankets in the back. Keith starts the car as he slips into the passenger seat.

“Seatbelt,” Keith mumbles, before he pulls out of the parking lot and onto the road.

The entire trip back is silent. Two and a half hours is a _long_ time, especially when the air feels so tense it could literally snap. Even the radio playing quietly in the background doesn’t do much to help. Lance spends the entire drive looking out the window with his arms folded over his chest. Keith doesn’t think he moves once.

It’s started to snow when they get back. Keith pulls into their space in the driveway in front of the cabin and pulls the keys out of the ignition, locking the doors when Lance almost immediately goes to get out. “Lance.”

Lance lets out a long breath, his hand still resting on the door. “Keith, I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

Keith doesn’t know whether or not he should feel relieved about the fact that there’s a ‘this’ to talk about in the first place. “Then when?” he asks quietly.

“Are you gonna let me out of the car?”

Keith stares at him for a moment longer, and then he unlocks the doors. Neither of them say anything else as they get out of the car and trudge through the snow up to the porch. Adam and Shiro look up from where they’re sitting in the living room when they come inside.

“Hey!” Shiro smiles brightly. “Did you guys have a good time?”

Lance hardly spares them a glance, shrugging off his coat and hanging it on the rack as Keith closes the door. “Yeah.”

Shiro seemed to be expecting—more, because confusion flashes briefly across his face and he shares a look with Adam. “Oh. That’s—good.”

Keith hasn’t even had the chance to take his coat off yet when Lance turns back to him, eyes still on the floor. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he mumbles, and then he starts up the stairs before Keith can respond. Keith stares after him, his heart climbing up into his throat.

“Oh, that’s not good,” he hears Adam murmur from the couch.

For a moment, the only sound in the room is from the fire crackling in the fireplace. Shiro slowly gets up and moves around the couch to stand by Keith, gently settling a hand on his shoulder. “Hey. Did something happen—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Keith interrupts, shrugging Shiro’s hand from his shoulder and immediately feeling guilty at his hurt expression. “Sorry. Sorry, I—” He pushes a hand through his hair and closes his eyes, letting out a sigh. “I just—I don’t know what happened either.” Adam is standing from his spot on the couch, watching as Keith rubs his forehead. “I’m just gonna go to my room.”

Shiro keeps looking at him for a moment, but eventually he nods. “Okay,” he says softly. “Adam and I will be down here for a while if you need anything.”

Keith’s chest feels tight as he climbs the stairs to his room, pausing in the middle of the hallway and staring at Lance’s closed door. He can hear Shiro and Adam murmuring quietly to one another from the living room downstairs.

“...could have happened?”

“I don’t know, Takashi. You saw the picture they sent earlier, they seemed fine.”

“Adam, you know Lance by now. He wouldn’t even look at Keith when they came in.”

“As I said before, I don’t know.”

“Keith apologized to me.”

“Takashi.”

“I’m just saying. You can tell this is already eating him up inside. Maybe one of us should go talk to him.”

“No, whatever’s going on is between them. They’ll figure it out. They always have, haven’t they?”

Keith sighs quietly and slips into his room.

 

 **Keith K > lancey lance  
**December 20th, 9:33PM

 **Keith K:** hey  
listen, i’m sorry  
i don’t really know what’s going on but obviously i was pushing too much and i’m sorry  
it feels like something’s wrong and i don’t know how to fix it, i want to fix it  
i know you don’t want to talk about it and you don’t have to  
but i just want to know that you’re okay?  
i don’t like thinking you’re not okay  
anyway, just  
if it wasn’t already obvious i’m here if you need me  
i’m sorry

**Author's Note:**

> remember when i said there are a lot of firsts in this part. little did you know that includes their first fight 
> 
> come say hi on [tumblr](https://www.taxashi.tumblr.com)!  
> 


End file.
